


bring him home

by 221bdisneystreet



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood, Brainwashing, Canon Divergence, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Injuries, Post-Season 4, Violence, anyways i hope you all love dying cuz i sure love dying, i guess?? idk where this could be in the timeline exactly, it's somewhat mild, just pretend it's after s4, klangst, of course there's gonna be a happy ending i'm no sadist, the blood and violence isn't very graphic tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-10
Updated: 2017-11-10
Packaged: 2019-01-31 08:23:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12678096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/221bdisneystreet/pseuds/221bdisneystreet
Summary: This isn’t Keith.This isn’t the Keith he has fought alongside as a fellow teammate. This isn’t the Keith he used to call his rival and now can consider his friend. This isn’t the Keith he has slowly grown fond of with each passing day, with each passing second.This isn’t him.But maybe…Keith’s been brainwashed and Lance hopes he can snap him out of it.





	bring him home

**Author's Note:**

> Me, weeping every five minutes while I was writing this: why do I fucking do this to myself?
> 
> Anyways, this was an idea that I had based on a Twitter convo with @skyestiel and @angstinspace! Thanks to you both for the inspiration <3 I started this fic after s3 came out but of course, I'm slow af so this took me longer than it should have. 
> 
> Fun fact #1: when I thought of the title, I immediately realized afterwards that this was also a Les Mis song, and honestly that's one of the greatest coincidences that ever happened to me recently.
> 
> Fun fact #2: my alternative title for this fic is 'self-indulgent klangst but no one's dying except me' and if that ain't a mood......
> 
> Special thanks to @angstinspace for also helping me beta the first draft of this and to the Voltron writers discord for their support!! I LOVE Y'ALL <3

It all goes by too fast.

Maybe it’s the paralyzing shock, or the adrenaline that makes his heart pound like bullets in the heat of battle, or the fact that their opponent is more agile than ever before, but in Lance’s mind, everything has sped by in an undetermined amount of time. All the sights and sounds merge together into a single blur.

The lasers that blast across the room in brilliant flashes. The crash of bodies against the wall and groan of dented metal that immediately follows. The screams of combat-fueled passion or agonizing pain.

Keith swinging and slashing wildly at Lance with his sword and ignoring any pleas to snap out of it.

Keith knocking his rifle out of his hand, the weapon transforming back into a bayard as it skitters across the floor.

Keith kicking him in his shoulder at full force, sending him three feet back and stumbling to the ground.

Time painfully screeches back to its normal pace. But Lance is still dizzy and dazed from the impact of the blow, blood rushing into his brain and distorting all his senses. The pain in his shoulder courses down the entire left side of his crumpled body. His vision borders between blackness and clarity, and his ears ring with a dull ache. He thinks he can hear a gloating voice, but his mind fails to process the exact words. That is, except––

“...kill them.”

Then his vision, his hearing, his thoughts all click together like puzzle pieces.

Everything is alarmingly clear.

To Lance’s left, Allura is sprawled on the floor, lifting her head and gritting her teeth to let out a tight groan. Hunk’s fingers shudder as he slumps against the wall, which has a large dent behind him from when he had been smashed into it. To Lance’s right, Shiro is kneeling and panting heavily as he struggles to hoist up Pidge, who has her arm wrapped around her shoulder and slouches against his side. She grunts in pain as she clutches her hip with her free arm.

Lance shifts his attention to what is in front of him. In the distance, Lotor is about to depart, but not before he turns back with a devious sneer, sinister triumph shining in his eyes. But the sight of the person who stands before him makes Lance’s blood run cold.

Keith glares at his fallen teammates and growls through bared teeth like a rabid beast. His arms tense up, his fingers twitching like claws; the grip on his sword tightens. Although his eyes shine white like blank pages, superficially devoid of any emotion, fury is written all over his face.

As Lance struggles to get on his knees, his body howls in pain, but even that is nothing compared to the agony that tears into his heart when the two boys lock eyes with one another.

This isn’t Keith.

This isn’t the Keith he has fought alongside as a fellow teammate. This isn’t the Keith he used to call his rival and now can consider his friend. This isn’t the Keith he has slowly grown fond of with each passing day, with each passing  _ second. _

This isn’t him.

But maybe…

Lance’s legs wobble as he slowly stands up. He clasps onto his left shoulder, his arm dangling limply, and lets out a strained hiss followed by a hoarse cough.

He has a sliver of hope. Hope that he can find Keith again. Hope that he can call out to him. Hope that he can bring him back.

His chest heaves with each ragged breath he takes.

When he takes his first hesitant step, everything and everyone around him slows down.

“Keith...I know you’re in there,” he chokes out. Keith remains unmoving in his position, but he is still poised to attack.

Another step forward.

“Lance, what are you doing?!” Allura shouts.

“This isn’t you…”

And another. And another.

“Lance, stop!” Hunk yells.

“You’re not alone...”

And another. And another.

“No!” Pidge cries.

“You’re not some kind of monster…”

He’s closer now.

“Lance, get back!” Shiro demands.

Lance stops in front of Keith, who scowls at him with a ferocity as sharp as a knife. He just gazes back sadly, a melancholy sensation tugging in his chest.

“That’s not who you are…”

He pries his hand away from his shoulder, biting his lip to stifle a cry of pain. Keith raises his sword, ready to strike.

“You saved me before…”

Without a single thought, Lance gently places his hand on Keith’s cheek.

Keith freezes at his touch. In spite of the burning anger in his eyes, his skin feels cold. He slowly lowers his sword.

“Now it’s my turn,” Lance murmurs.

“SHUT UP!”

A violent roar ripping through his lips like that of a tiger, Keith abruptly slams Lance against the wall and pins him to the surface, the blade of his sword dangerously grazing Lance’s neck.

“Lance!” Hunk and Allura screams.

“Let him go!” Pidge shrieks, reaching out with tears in her eyes as Shiro anxiously holds her back.

Lance hadn’t heard Keith speak at all during their battle beforehand, but the words sting like the poisoned tip of an arrow.

“Shut up! I’ll kill you!” Keith snarls.

But Lance just gazes silently, desperately searching in Keith’s eyes for a sign. A sign that the Keith he knows, the Keith he  _ remembers  _ is buried deep within his seething rage.

“Keith...please,” he says, his voice low, pleading and quivering.

His heart races again. Fear slowly snakes around his throat.

“Please wake up.” He gently takes Keith’s face in his hands.

Fear that he might fail. Fear that he won’t know what to do if he fails.

“Come back to us.” He leans forward, their foreheads touching one another. The edge of Keith’s sword lightly presses into Lance’s skin.

Fear that he may never get back the person who matters to him the most.

“Come back...” Tears prick his eyes, partly clouding his sight.

The person who he  _ needs  _ the most…

“Come back…” he repeats the words with a whisper like an incantation.

The person who he  _ loves _ …

“Come back to me.”

He tenderly presses his lips into Keith’s.

And everything comes to a halt.

Lance can barely make out his teammates’ screams, and he can’t feel much either. Not the pain that continues gnawing from his shoulder down. Not the blade that digs shallowly into his skin or even the drops of blood that begin to seep out of the cut that it makes.

All he can feel is Keith.

_ Come back to me. _

Just then, a metallic clatter resumes the flow of time and snaps Lance’s senses back into place again. He can’t feel anything against his neck anymore.

Instead, he feels a pair of hands grabbing his own face and pulling him deeper.

This touch...it’s desperate, warm, firm. It begins to unravel the fear that has wound so tightly around him, slowly pulling apart the stitches...

This touch is…

Familiar.

Speechless, Lance carefully pulls himself away.

Keith stares back at him with soft, wide eyes, and Lance sees a book of emotions unfold before him.

Confusion as Keith gapes and lets his hands linger away from Lance’s bruised cheeks.

Realization as Keith delicately brushes his fingers along Lance’s shoulder and recoils when he sees him wince upon contact.

Shock as Keith shifts his attention to the trail of blood that trickles from the paper-thin slit on Lance’s neck and then to the ground where he had dropped his bayard.

Regret as Keith looks back at Lance with tears forming in his violet eyes, one hand over his mouth as he struggles to muffle his shaky voice.

“Lance…” Keith’s other hand hovers back to Lance’s face.

Lance can’t pinpoint exactly what he’s feeling right now, his heart a battlefield of emotions as surprise and relief and even lingering traces of worry fight to conquer him. Even though he’s gazing into  _ his  _ eyes, the eyes of the Keith he knows, and his hands are still holding  _ his  _ face, the face of the Keith he remembers, he wonders if he’s actually trapped in a dream. Keith’s gentle and warm touch, however, convinces him that this is all very much real.

When he finds himself grounded in reality, his voice returns to him.

“H-hey man,” Lance finally whispers, sniffling a little. “I missed you…”

Lance can feel Keith’s body tremble, and the two of them collapse to their knees. A new feeling,  _ happiness _ , swells within him, ready to challenge the other emotions for control of his heart.

Just then, Keith throws himself forward and buries his face into Lance’s chest.

“I’m sorry…” he sobs quietly.

“Shh, it’s okay,” Lance whispers reassuringly as he hugs Keith’s shivering body.

“I hurt everyone,” Keith hiccups. “I hurt  _ you _ …”

“It’s not your fault…” Lance strokes Keith’s hair as he consoles him. “What matters is that you’re safe...”

“I’m sorry, Lance. I’m so sorry...”

Lance buries his face into Keith’s hair and squeezes his eyes shut, clinging to him tighter.

“I was afraid I’d lose you…”

Keith slowly pulls himself away and looks up at Lance with teary eyes. “Lance, I––”

Lance gently cups Keith’s jaw and interrupts him with another kiss, this one just as tender as the last. In one fell swoop, happiness, warm and soothing, bathes his entire being. His surprise and relief surrender quietly, while the remnants of his fear melt away.

When he lets go, Keith stares at him and blinks, losing the words he wanted to say. Another moment of stunned silence passes between them before Lance, unable to contain himself any longer, bursts out into a peal of raspy but overjoyed laughter.

Happiness.

That’s what he feels right now, and that’s all he can feel right now.

Well, that and––

It isn’t long until Keith embraces Lance and mirrors his laughter, shaky but just as ecstatic and relieved. The sound of Keith’s joy, something that he feared he would never hear again, makes Lance’s heart pound.

He feels Keith, and he feels happiness. Or rather, in Lance’s eyes, Keith  _ is  _ his happiness. So perhaps, that really  _ is  _ all he can feel right now.

“T-thanks, Lance...for saving me…”

With a soft smile, Lance quietly laughs.

“Welcome home, Keith.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to yell with me about Voltron, find me on tumblr @221bdisneystreet or twitter @mirmirthepanda!


End file.
